Statin Drugs Maintain Lung Function in the Elderly

Joel Schwartz, Ph.D.
Harvard School of Public Health
NIEHS Grants R01ES015172 and P30ES000002

There are six statin drugs currently on the market and they form a class of drugs used to lower cholesterol levels in people with or at risk for cardiovascular disease. They have become increasingly popular since there introduction in the 1990’s with about 12 million current prescriptions in the U.S. Statins have also been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. Decreases in lung function, which occur as people age, have been linked to increased inflammation and oxidative stress. NIEHS-supported investigators at the Harvard School of Public Health hypothesized that with their widespread use, statins may have a beneficial effect on maintaining lung function in elderly subjects.

The researchers performed their study with a population of men, average age greater than 70, enrolled in the Normative Aging Study. Lung function tests had been performed on these men from 2-4 times between 1995 and 2005. At each visit, the subjects were questioned about their use of statins as well as their smoking history. In summary, statin use reduced the yearly decline in “normal” lung function by about 50 per cent. Statin use significantly reduced the deficits in both forced expiratory volume and forced vital capacity in smokers and non-smokers.

This study is the first to show the benefits of statin use on maintaining lung function in elderly subjects regardless of smoking history. If confirmed in a randomized clinical trial, these results suggest a possible treatment for impaired lung function, especially in patients with a history of smoking.

Citation: Alexeeff SE, Litonjua AA, Sparrow D, Vokonas PS, Schwartz J. Statin use reduces decline in lung function: VA Normative Aging Study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2007 Oct 15;176(8):742-7.